


Viral

by keysmash



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Community: 14valentines, Female Character of Color, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-02-09
Updated: 2010-02-09
Packaged: 2017-10-07 03:26:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/60936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keysmash/pseuds/keysmash
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Missouri had her business cards made at the local Office Depot.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Viral

**Author's Note:**

> Written for 14valentines.

Missouri had her business cards made at the local Office Depot, every few years. She bought them in boxes of 250 at a time, and let whoever was working that day pick the font for her, but the cards said the same thing every time. They were just her number along the bottom edge and her name across the top, followed by another word: _Psychic_. She got raised eyebrows every time she placed the order, but no one ever said anything about it. Anyway, she figured the kids working the print counter got weirder requests than this on a regular basis.

The girl who handled her order this time tried to get Missouri to add some color, which happened with every other refill or so, but Missouri shook her head.

"They've been working fine so far," she said.

"They're really minimalistic, you're right," the girl agreed. Her badge said _New Employee_ instead of giving her name, but she didn't have a trainer hovering over her shoulder, and she certainly seemed to know her way around the equipment. Maybe she'd lost her own name tag and had borrowed this one for the day. Missouri thought about it for a second, then shook her head; it had fallen between the door and the driver's seat of her car, and the girl would find it soon. "But they could be so much more memorable with even a little color — just to punch it up some?"

Missouri shook her head and laughed a little. "If people forget about what I can do for them, then they don't have anything worth seeing me about in the first place."

"I guess you've got a point there," the girl said, looking down at the final card from the last box that Missouri had brought in as a template. She shrugged and started filling out some paperwork. Missouri looked at the signs advertising other services, on the wall behind her. The color cards cost almost twice as much as the black and white, and while it still wasn't that expensive, she laughed and shook her head.

She was always a little surprised to find herself brushing the bottom of one box, having passed out the entire stack of cards that seemed so thick when it was new, still smelling of ink. Business was steady, but it never seemed like she saw enough people to need new business cards as often as she did. She didn't leave them under windshield wipers or anything, just gave one to each new client, but sometimes people asked if they could give her number to a friend, and Missouri always gave those clients three or four cards to pass around. She guessed it added up.

Missouri went back to the store a few days later, to pick them up, and the same girl was standing behind the counter. She was wearing her own name tag again, _Krista_, and she fished under the counter for Missouri's box as soon as she made eye contact.

"That was fast," Missouri said, as Krista opened the box and slid it across the counter, so Missouri could check the cards out. She picked up the top one, ran a fingertip over its corner, and then put it back.

"It's a slow day," Krista said, and shrugged. "Also, I saw you coming inside."

Missouri put her purse on the counter and Krista rang her up. She paused with the box in one hand and the other opening a plastic store bag to put it inside, then cocked her head at Missouri. "Are you really —" She glanced down at the box of cards, then back at Missouri's face. "You know."

Like it was some sort of disease. Missouri smiled at her; the new ones never could talk about it. "Your name tag was in your car," she said. "It fell out on your foot in the parking lot the other day, when you were on your way home."

Krista's eyes widened. "How did you —" She cut herself off when Missouri raised an eyebrow and then ducked her head and laughed at herself. "Right."

Missouri took the box of new cards and slid it into her purse, then opened her wallet and took out the last card from the previous batch. It was the same one she'd given Krista a few days ago, to show her what she wanted, but now she slid it across the counter to her and left it there. "Give me a call, if you need. I'm always taking more clients."

She turned around without waiting for Krista to respond. She'd left her receipt still hanging off the cash register's printer, but she'd paid cash, and she'd gotten her change back. Plus, she thought Krista might want to call her and tell her she'd left it; people needed that nudge sometimes, and whether it was through a friend's recommendation or through some path Missouri laid herself, she knew how to get the right people to come see her.


End file.
